An English chap (John Graham-Cumming) has opened a website, http://plan28.org/, outlining his plans to actually construct a working version of Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine. Babbage began designing this after he had spent much effort designing his Difference Engine. The Analytical Engine would have been the first true general purpose digital computer, well over a 100 years ago.
The Science Museum in London constructed a working Difference Engine in 1990, using Victorian materials and tolerances, and Babbage's original plans, proving Babbage's design was sound, and that it could have been done successfully in the 19th century.
Now John Graham-Cumming proposes to take the next step, and build a working version of the Analytical Engine, a much more difficult task, since Babbage never finished a complete design, and continued refining version after version of his ideas.
There are some comments pointing out that model engineers could be a valuable part of the effort.
The Science Museum in London constructed a working Difference Engine in 1990, using Victorian materials and tolerances, and Babbage's original plans, proving Babbage's design was sound, and that it could have been done successfully in the 19th century.
Now John Graham-Cumming proposes to take the next step, and build a working version of the Analytical Engine, a much more difficult task, since Babbage never finished a complete design, and continued refining version after version of his ideas.
There are some comments pointing out that model engineers could be a valuable part of the effort.
